Beet-sampling apparatus



1, 1934- c3 H. NINEGAR 1,956,874

BEET SAMPLING APPARATUS Filed Jan. 25, 1932 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 H I ll IIH INVENTOR.

ATTORNEYfi May 1, 1934. c. H. NINEGAR 1,956,874

BEET SAMPLING APPARATUS Filed Jan. 25, 1932 3 Sheets$heet 2.

I. I1 I 7zlgl'tjNTOR. 756W Y M ATTORNEY5.

y 1934- c. H. NINEGAR 1,956,874

BEET SAMPLING APPARATUS Filed Jan. 25, 1932 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 mwaw."

INVENTOR.

ATTORNEYd Patented May 1, 1934 STATES UNIT PATENT ()FFICE 7 Claims.

This invention relates to apparatus for taking samples of beets in the manufacture of beet sugar.

It is common practise in beet sugar factories,

to determine the average sugar content of beets delivered from the field, by removing a proportional segment of one or more of the beets of a load in the form of a fine pulp and then treating said pulp by well known methods. The beetsegment is obtained by means of a circular rasp which cuts lengthwise through the beets and it is an object of the present invention to provide accurate and automatic means for holding each beet from which a sample is to be taken, in the proper position with relation to a mechanically rotated rasp.

Another object is to provide a highly eflicient though simple mechanism for propelling the beets across the revolving rasp, at a uniform and constant speed.

A further object resides in the provision of a holder for the beets Which secures the beets in the proper position for its movement across the rasp by a conveyor to which the holder is attached, and which automatically discharges the beets after the samples have been removed, and still other objects are to be found in details of construction and in novel and advantageous arrangements and combinations of parts, as will be fully brought out in the course of the following description.

In the accompanying drawings in the several views of which like parts have been similarly designated,

Figure l is a plan View of a sampling apparatus made in accordance with the present in- Vention,

Figure 2, a vertical side-elevation of the same,

Figure 3, a vertical section taken in the plane indicated by the line 33 in Figure 1,

Figure 4, a vertical transverse section on the line 4.-& of Figure 3,

Figure 5, an enlarged elevation of one of the beet-holders forming part of the sampling mechanism,

Figure 6, a sectional view of the holder along the line 66 of Figure 5,

Figure 7, an end view of the holder looking in the direction of the arrow A in Figure 5,

Figure 8, a section taken on the line 88 of Figure 5, and

Figure 9, an enlarged side view of a segmental portion of the rasp.

Referring further to the drawings, the beetholder, best shown in Figures 6 to 8, comprises a frame 5 for the support of two members 6 and 7 of a cone-shaped sheath-element which cooperatively secure the beet in the holder for its movement across the rasp and which provide for its automatic discharge from the holder after the sample has been taken. One of the members, 6, of the sheath is rigidly mounted in the frame, and the other smaller member is movable to and into the other to compensate for beets of different shapes and sizes and to efiect the discharge of the beets from the holder as will hereinafter be more fully described.

The frame is box-like in form and of U-shaped section, its side-members 8 extending at opposite sides of the sheath-element to a plane slightly beneath the axis of the same.

The large member 6 is welded to the sides 8 and the top 9 of the frame, and the smaller member '7 is slidably supported in guide-ways 1O interiorly of the sides of the frame, by means of laterally projecting wings 12.

Compression-springs 13 around rods 14 fastened to lugs 15 on the wings of the sliding cone abut against an end-plate 16 of the box-frame, to impel the cone lenthwise of and into the stationary cone, as indicated in broken lines in Figure 6. The larger cone has to this end, slots to admit the lateral wings of the smaller cone.

A rack bar 1'7 extending rearwardly of the sliding member through an opening of the end plate of the frame, has at its lower edge, a series of ratchet teeth for engagement with a detent 18 on a vertically sliding latch bar 19. The detent is formed in a slot of the bar through which the rack extends, and the bar is guided in its vertical movement by slotted lugs 20 and 21 on the end-plate 16.

A spring 22 coiled around the bar between the upped lug 21 and a head 23 at the upper end of the bar, holds the detent in engagement with the teeth of the rack-bar.

It will be apparent that when the small member of the sheath is moved toward or into the larger member of the same, the springs 13 are expanded, and the latch-bar 19 will hold the member in its adjusted position.

If subsequently the detent is released from the teeth of the rack bar by moving it downwardly against the pressure of its spring, the subsequent expansion of the springs 13, will return the small member of the sheath to its original position. This occurs automatically in the operation of the apparatus hereinafter to be described.

hTe end plate 16 and the cone-members 6 and 7 are slotted as at 24 to provide a passage for the rasp of the apparatus and the frame has at its sides outwardly projecting wings 25 for its attachment to endless chains of the apparatus.

The wings have downwardly extending flanges 26, one of which has a circular opening 27 and the other of which has a slot 28 for their pivotal connection with links of the chain, the slots permitting of movement of the holder around the wheels on which the chains are 'mounted.

In practice, the beet to be sampled is pushed into the sheath with its point or root-end inside the sliding member thereof, which is pressed forwardly against the resistance-ofthe springs. The beet is thus accurately centered and the detent holds the small member of the sheathifr its adjusted position. By movement of the holder across the rasp, a radial section of the beet is removed and when, subsequently, the detent is disengaged from the rack-bar by downward pressure, the sliding member is moved violently "rearward by expansion of the springs 13, and the beet is discharged from the holder.

A suitable mechanism to effect this operation, has been illustrated in Figures 1 to 4 of the drawings. A frame 30 supports in boxes 31 and 32 two axially parallel pairs of sprocket wheels 33 and 34 which carry endless sprocket chains 35. One of the pairs of wheels is driven from a conveniently located motor, by means of a pulley 36 mounted upon a protruding end-portion of its shaft.

At a point intermediate of the axes of the wheels, the frame 30 supports the rasp-housing 37 which consists of a trough 38 through which the holders move in the operation of the machine, and a downwardly extending chute 39 through which the pulpous samples taken from the beets, drop into a receptacle.

This receptacle may consist of a pan 4O loosely placed upon a floor 41 for its removal through an opening 42 in the side of-the frame. Rotatably mounted in boxes 43 at the sides of the housing is the circular disk-shaped rasp 44, which, as best shown in Figure 9, has peripheral teeth and surface-teeth.

Above the housing 3'7, at the rearward end thereof with reference to the direction in which the upper stretches of the chains are movedby rotation of the sprocket wheels, is a resilient cammember 45 which has a downwardly curving end in the path of the heads 23 of the latch-bars 19 of the beet-holders in order to depress the same against the resistance of their springs and thereby release the sliding sheath-members for rearward movement by expansion of their springs 13.

The rasp is driven from the motor or other source of energy by means of a belt around a pulley 46 on a projecting portion of its shaft. A loose pulley 47 on the same shaft permits of shifting the belt when it is desired to discontinue the rotary movement of the rasp for cleaning, repairs or other purpose.

A number of beet-holders are equidistantly mounted on the chains by connectingthe apertured and slotted flanges of their wings to the links thereof, the slots permitting of the holders moving around the sprocket-wheels. When the holders are in their lowermost position with respect to-the rising parts of the chains as they move around the wheels 33, as indicated'at A, the beets are placed and'centered in the'respective sheaths thereof as hereinabove described. When the holders are moved through the trough 38 and across the revolving rasp, the latter removes a segmental portion of the beets in the form of a pulp which falls into the pan 40, and immediately after the samples have thus been taken, the heads 23 of the latch-bars of the holders are depressed by engagement with the cam-member 45 with the result that the small members of the beet-holding sheaths are disengaged from the end portion of the beets, leaving the beets free to drop-from the holders while the latter are inverted when the chain moves downwardly around the other wheel, as indicated at B.

A hinged shield 48 above the rasp, affords access to the interior of the trough and the latter is 'sldtt'ed at its sides to guide the beet-holders during their movement through the trough.

It will thus be seen that in the operation of the maohineyafter the beets are placed in the holders, proportional segments of the beets are taken throughout the length thereof in the form of a fine pulp which falls into the pan 40 to be removed'at-any time it is desired to determine the average sugar-content of the beets.

After'the samples have been taken, the beets are automatically discharged from their respective-holders, at the point B, leaving the latter in a condition for reloading at the point A.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In beet-sampling apparatus, a beet-holder comprising a housing having means for its attachment to a conveyor, a conical beet-sheath in the housing, composed of a stationary member and a relatively slidable spring-controlled member, and a latch for locking the slidable member in an adjusted position.

2. In beet-sampling apparatus, a beet-holder comprising a housing having means for its attachment to a conveyor, a conical beet-sheath in the housing, composed of a stationary member and a relatively movable member, the members being slotted for their passage across a rasp in the path of the holder with the conveyor, and means to control the movement of the movable member relative to the other member.

3. In beet-sampling apparatus, a beet-holder comprising a housing having means for its attachment to a conveyor, a beet-sheath composed of a member fixed in the housing, and a member guided in the housing to slide relative to the other member, spring-means opposing movement of the sliding member toward the other member, and means for locking the sliding member against movement by action of said springmeans.

4. In beet-sampling apparatus, a beet-holder comprising a housing having means for its attachment to a conveyor, a beet-sheath composed of a member fixed in the housing, and a member guided in the housing to slide relative to the other member, spring-means opposing movement of the sliding member away from the other memher, a toothed rack on the sliding member, and a latch bar for holding the sliding member in an adjusted position by engagement with the rack.

5. In beet-sampling apparatus, a beet-holder comprising a housing having means for its attachment to a conveyor, a beet-sheath composed of a member fixed in the housing, and a member guided in the housing to slide relative tothe other member, spring-means opposing movement of the sliding member away from the other member, atoothedrack-on the sliding member, and a spring-controlled latch-bar to automatically lock 7. Beet-sampling apparatus comprising an endless conveyor, 2, beet-holder on the conveyor, spring means to eject a beet from the beetholder, a latch-element on the beet-holder normally restraining the spring means and extending exteriorly of said holder, and a relatively stationary cam-member in the path of said latchelement to release the spring means at a determinate point in the movement of the conveyor.

CHARLES H. NINEGAR. 

